Abies fargesii

Pinaceae Abies fargesii Franch.

Etymology
Abies refers to ‘to rise’; indicating large trees.
fargesii refers to the plant collector P. G. Farges.

Colloquial Name
Farges’ fir

Description
These trees can grow up to 40 meters tall, with a straight, column-like trunk that supports a narrow pyramidal or conical crown. The bark is smooth and gray on young trees, peeling in fine flakes, but as the tree ages, it becomes rough and fissured with a brownish-gray color.

The main branches are thick, relatively short, and spaced out, with the upper branches spreading outward or angling upward, while the lower ones may hang downward. The smaller twigs are slender but firm, with colors ranging from reddish-brown to purplish or even mahogany, depending on the tree. They have shallow grooves along their length and may be either smooth, slightly fuzzy in the grooves, or densely covered in fine hairs during their first year. The scars left behind when needles fall off are circular.

The buds are small, slightly sticky, and shaped like elongated ovals, measuring between 5 and 8 millimeters long. Their outer scales are triangular, yellowish-brown, and remain on the tree for several years. The needles are arranged in a spiral pattern and appear crowded, with overlapping rows of varying lengths. The lower needles spread outward in a comb-like pattern, while those on cone-bearing branches tend to angle upward. They range from 1 to 4.5 centimeters long and 2 to 3.5 millimeters wide. At the base, they are slightly twisted and can be either flat or have edges that curl slightly downward. The upper surface is glossy green, while the underside is pale whitish-green or bluish. The tips may be rounded, notched, or slightly split, though on cone-bearing branches, they are often more pointed. The undersides of the needles have two bands of stomata separated by a central ridge.

The pollen cones grow close together near the tips of branches, emerging from the axils of the needles. They are small, yellow, and have red pollen-producing structures. The seed cones grow upright on very short stalks and have an oval to oblong or cylindrical shape with a rounded or slightly depressed tip. They range from 5 to 9 centimeters long and 3 to 4 centimeters wide. When young, they are bluish-purple, later maturing into shades of purplish or reddish-brown.

The cone scales are wedge-shaped and fan-like, measuring 0.8 to 1.2 centimeters long and 1.5 to 2 centimeters wide at the middle of the cone. Their surface is smooth but has fine hairs, especially on exposed areas. The upper edge is rounded and unbroken, while the base narrows into a short stalk. The bracts inside the cone are obovate with a wedge-shaped base, measuring 1 to 1.5 centimeters long. They slightly extend beyond the cone scales and may have straight or recurved tips.

The seeds are small, oblong, and measure 5 to 6 millimeters long and 3 to 3.5 millimeters wide. Their color varies from light brown to nearly black. Each seed is attached to a wing, which is wedge-shaped with an angled edge, measuring 6 to 7 millimeters long and 4 to 5 millimeters wide. The wings range in color from light purplish to almost black.

Subordinate Taxa
There exist 3 subordinate taxa for Abies fargesii:

Distribution

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TDWG Codes
3, 36, CHC, CHC-CQ, CHC-HU, CHC-SC, CHN, CHN-GS, CHN-SA, CHS, CHS-HE

Habitat
The natural habitats for Abies fargesii are temperate forests. It is naturally found at an elevation of at least 4000 up to 4000 metres. Other conifers associated with Abies fargesii are:

USDA Hardiness zone – 6
Abies fargesii is hardy to USDA Zone 6 (Bannister & Neuner, 2001), meaning its frost tolerance lies somewhere in the range of -23.3C (-10F) to -17.8C (0F).

Species Continuity
The population trend for Abies fargesii is decreasing. There are ongoing threats for Abies fargesii and they are listed as follows:

• 1 Habitat Loss & Degradation
  • 1.4 Air / Soil & Water Pollution
• 2 Overexploitation & Resource Use
  • 2.1 Logging & Wood Harvesting

IUCN Category – LC
According to the IUCN Red List, Abies fargesii has been assigned the status of LC(Least Concern). This means that according to the Red List criteria, this species is not qualified as threatened.

Superordinate Taxa
The nearest superordinate taxon for Abies fargesii is Subsect. Delavayianae. The coordinate taxa for Abies fargesii are therefore:

Abies fargesii is further placed under Abietoideae. Abies fargesii is also placed under Pinaceae.

This map shows botanical records (points) for this taxon. By opening the map’s sidebar (collapsed by default) you can toggle visibility or change the basemap. By clicking on records, you reveal more information.

Cultivars
‘Headfort’